Stamped Shortbread Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare the cookies: Add flour, cornstarch and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Zest half the orange and half the lemon directly into the bowl. Reserve the lemon and orange for the glaze. Cream the butter mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and lemon extracts and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl a few times as needed.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough in half and let one piece warm up for 30 minutes if it has chilled longer than an hour. Return the other half to the refrigerator. Portion the dough into pieces roughly the size of walnuts (a scant 2 tablespoons/about 35 grams), then roll each piece into a ball between your hands. One at a time, dip a ball of dough into flour and set on work surface. If dough balls soften too much, return them to the refrigerator to firm up for a few minutes. You want it cool, but malleable. Dip cookie stamp in flour, and press down on the ball of dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove stamp. (If dough sticks to stamp, carefully peel it off. Don't worry about excess flour as you will brush it off after chilling.) Trim the edges using a 2-inch cookie cutter, and transfer dough rounds to 2 parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, arranging them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Once you have stamped out all the cookies, knead together the scraps to make a few more. Chill in the freezer until very firm, about 10 minutes. When cold, brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
• Bake until cookies just start to turn golden underneath, 12 to 14 minutes, switching the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time.
• Make the glaze while the cookies bake: Zest the remaining skin from the reserved lemon and orange into a small bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar, butter and orange juice and whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more orange juice. If it is too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. It should be the consistency of thin custard.
• Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, and transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Pick up a cookie, and using the back of a small spoon, spread a generous teaspoon of glaze on a cookie, letting any excess drip onto the next cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are glazed. Cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*
• In large bowl, comine 1/2 cup sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch, dried butter powder.( this should be available from a cake decorating shop, etc) adds just the best butter flavor -- and mix well.
• Divide dough into 18 equal pieces, shape into balls.
• Roll balls in 3 tbls sugar.
• Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• For each cookies, flatten ball of dough firmly with cookie stamp.
• Bake at 350* for 9-12 minutes or until bottoms are very light golden brown.
• Cool 1 minutes, remove from cookie sheets.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, with electric mixer on low, then medium speed, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, cornstarch, sugar, salt and vanilla until light and well blended -- about 3 minutes.
• Beat or stir in flour until evenly incorporated.
• Let the dough stand for 5 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.
• Divide the dough in half, place each portion between large sheets of wax paper. roll out each poriton, 1/3" thick, check the underside of the dough and smooth out any wrinkles that form. Stack the rolled portions(paper still attached) on a baking sheet, refrigerate for 30 minutes until chilled and firm -- or freeze for 20 minutes to speed chilling.
• preheat oven to 300*.set out several baking sheets. working with one portion of dough at a time, leaving remainder chilled -- gently peel away, then pat one sheet of wax paper back into place.
• Flip the dough over, then peel off and discard the second sheet.
• Using a 2/3-3" fluted, daisy or round cutter or other size and shape.for your stamp -- cut out the cookies.
• If at any point the dough softens too much, transfer the paper and cookies to a sheet and rechill --.
• Using a spatual, carefully transfer the cookies to baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2" apart. Reroll any dough scraps. Continue cutting out the cookies until all the dough is used. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, upper third of oven for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, using a cookie stamp, press a design into the top of each cookie. Return cookies to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes more or just tinged with color all over and fairly darker at the edges. Reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning.transfer cookies to rack and let stand until cookies firm up. about 10 minutes. If desired, the designs stamped into the cookies can be highlighted by painting with a color wash.(see below).
• Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 2 months.COLOR WASH*** Prepare a wash by adding a drop or two of desired color to a few teaspoons of water. Make as many different colored washes as desired. using a small clean artist brush, test each color on a broken cookie to get desired color -- lightly apply the wash over very fine details using small brushes.it is best to add only a light wash and keep colors in pastel range. let cookies stand 1-2 hours or completely dry -- .

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar thoroughly.
• Add flour gradually, one cup at a time. Mix this until well blended, but do not overmix.
• Roll into one-inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Stamp with warm cookie stamp.
• Bake at 325F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (or 12-15 minutes per reviewer).